Drying-kiln.



No. 660,354. Patented 001. 23. |900.`

A. ANDERSON.

DRYING KILN.Y

(Application med out. 2s, 1899.)

V(llo Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

ndrea/ lwZmon.,

No. 660,354.. Patented oct 2s A. ANDERSON. 900' DBYING KILN.

(Application 'nl ed Oct, 28, 1899.)

(No Model.)

A2 Sheets-Sheet 2,

*THE News PETERS co, PHomLrrNo.. WASHINGTON. D, c.

l UNrTED STATES AT-nNr Ormes.

ANDREW ANDERSON, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 660,354, dated October23, 1900.

Application filed October 23, 1899. Serial No. '734,484 (No model.)

T0 if/ZZ whom, it may con/cern.' i

Be it known that I, ANDREW ANDERSON, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Detroit, in Vthe county of Wayne and State ofMichigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inDrying-Kilns, of which the following is a specification, reference beinghad therein to the accompanying drawings. v

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in dry-kilns formatch-splints, and has for its object to construct a kiln that will becontinuous in its operation, so that the green match-splints may be fedin and the dried splints removed without interfering with the operationof the device; and to this end it consists of a drying-compartmentadapted to receive a vertical series of superimposed trays containingthe match-splints and means for releasing the bottom tray from under thepile, so that it may be withdrawn and room made on the top to feed in anew tray, all in the manner as more fully hereinafter described, andshown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a frontelevation of my drykiln. Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is asection on line .e z, Fig. 2. Fig. 4. is a front elevation of one of thekilns with doors removed, showing the trays partly in section. Fig.showsthe belt-shifting mechanism, and

Fig. 6 is an elevation of one of the sprocket- Fig. 7 is a in thedrying-chamber.

wheels for supporting the trays. section-on line y y, Fig. l.

I have shown my invention as applied to a double kiln, in which A is asubstructure forming a horizontal air-duct inclosing the heatingcoils,and B represents two dryingchambers built above the middle of the ductand communicating therewith at the bottom. Each drying-chamber isadapted to hold a Vertical series of rectangular trays containing thematch-splints and has an upper door ct for introducing a fresh tray ontop and a lower door b for removing the lowest trays, all in the mannermore fully hereinafter described. Between the upper and lower doors alarge door c may be provided for general access to the interior.

On top the drying-chambers communicate into the pyramidal-shaped hoodO,fro1n which plied from any suitable source of supply, and

in each end of the airduct are openings A2, through which the air to beheated is admitted. It Will thus be seen that the air to be heatedpasses the entire length of heatingcoils and is then drawn upthrough thevertical series of trays, which are filled with the match-splints. I

The means provided for carrying the trays through the drying-chambersare as follows:

E E are transverse shafts mounted near the base of the drying-chambersin suitable bearings in the side walls and each carrying twoparticularly-shaped sprocket-wheels f, the sprocket-teeth f' of whichare adapted to freely support the whole stack of trays in thedrying-chambers. Each shaft E at its rear end carries a worm-gear g,which meshes with a worm h on a longitudinal shaft F, mounted in rear ofthe drying-chambers. The shaft F carries the loose and tight pulleys t'1l' and receives motion through a belt r under the control of abelt-shifter, which 'comprises the level' k, pivotally secured at t andhaving a forked end embracing the belt. The other end of the lever isconnected by a link It' to a rod Z, secured in vertical bearings andhaving at its lower end an arm m, extending horizontally beneath thelowermost tray A spring n is attached to the lever 7c, which by itstension holds it i'n the position shown in Fig. 5, in

.which the belt is on the fast pulley t".

G shows rectangular trays having perforated bottoms,preferably made ofwire screen, and they are of a size to be freely guided by the verticalwalls of the drying-chamber. The

trays are superimposed upon each 0ther,with

open spaces between them,preferably formed by means of strips j,fastened across'thetop and serving as rails in sliding the trays inorout.

In practice the entire stack of trays, which are lled withmatch-splints, are supported within the drying -chamber by the foursprocket-wheels f, each one of which has one of its four sprocket-teethprojecting beneath IOO the bottom tray, and on account of the wormgearson the shafts E and F the sprocketwheels are interlocked and support thetrays in position; but if power is applied to the shaft F in aproperdirectionthe shafts E are revolved and the whole stack of trays in thedrying-chamber drops down slowly till the supporting sprocket-teeth.move out entirely from beneath the lowermost tray and let it freely dropa little distance farther, while the next set of sprocket-teeth engagebeneath the tray next above and uphold all the trays above. Thelowermost tray in dropping presses down the arm m of the rod l, whichthereby shifts the belt ronto the loose pulley 'L' and stops the furthermotion of the shaft F. The lowermost tray is thus released from theweight o'f the trays above and may be removed through the door in frontand a fresh tray introduced on top through the upper door. As soon asthe lower tray is removed the spring m actuates the beltshifter anddraws the belt into the fast pulley, thus giving motion to the shaft Fand repeating the operation, as before described.

Whilel have' shown a separate shaftF with separate drive connection foreach drying-chamber, the two shafts may be in one, with a single driveconnection, or the drive connections may be entirely dispensed with, andthe shaft or shafts F may then be merely turned by hand, whenever it isdesired to remove a tray, by means of a crank K, applied to the end ofthe shaft F, as shown in Fig. 3. It will be seen that with myconstruction the device is simple and exceedingly compact. It requiresonlya comparatively small Hoor-space, as the heating-plenum is builtunderground and the large volume of heated air follows a vertical pathup through the trays, where it has to pass through the intersticesbetween the splints, which are irregularly piled in the trays, and asthe green splints are fed in on top the moisture cannot come in contactwith the dried matches. The device operates continuously faster orslower, as required to keep step with the work.

The trays may be ordinarily made of a size to be easily handled by twomen and, if desired, may be placed on low truck-Wheels, with suitabletracks built out in front of the doors a. and b to wheel them into andout of the drying-chamber. As such an arrangement obviously suggestsitself, it is not nec- 5 essary to describe it any further.

What I claim as my invention isl. In a dry-kiln for match-splints, thecomn bination of a drying-chamber, a series of independent trayssuperimposed upon each other within the walls of said chamber andforming open intervals between the sides, transverse shafts mounted inthe side walls of the chamber near the base thereof, wheel-s upon saidshafts having radial sprocket-teeth at substantially right angles toeach other adapted to engage into the intervals between the trays tosupport the same in position and release the bottom tray and adrive-shaft having interlocking drive-gear with the transverse shafts.

2. In a dry-kiln, the combination of two drying compartments B adjacentto each other, the hot-air heating-duct A communicating into the base ofsaid compartments, a hood C at the top of said com partments, asuction-fan D communicating therewith, a hotair heating-ductcommunicating with the base of the drying-compartments, a verticalseries of superimposed trays G provided with perforated bottoms, thesprocket-wheels f 8o having the radial arms f' adapted to movablysupport the trays within the dryingchamber, and the doors a b in thedryingchamber for the insertion of fresh trays on top and the removal ofthe lowest tray at the bottom respectively.

3. In a dry-kiln, the combination with a drying-compartment, havingsuitable receiving and discharging doors at the top and bottom thereof,and a vertical series of superimposed trays contained therein, of thesup-` porting-wheels mounted on shafts on opposite sides of thedrying-compartmcnt near the bottom thereof, said wheels having radialarms adapted to movably support all the trays above the bottom of thedrying-chamber and to release the bottom tray.

4f. In a dry-kiln, the combination with a drying-compartmentand a seriesof superimposed trays contained therein, the sprocketwheelsf mounted onthe shaftsE E and lraving the radial armsfl adapted to engage into theintervals between the trays to support the same in position and torelease the bottom tray.

In testimony whereof I affix signature in presence of two witnesses.

ANDREWv ANDERSON.

Witnesses:

OTTO F. BAR'rI-IEL, V. D. KINNER.

ICO

